"I had the exact same problem with the yeast not blooming, but here's what I think the problem is: too much sugar. The fifth time, I used 1/2 cup water, warm as instructed, but only 2-3 Tablespoons sugar, mixed it up a bit to get it to dissolve, then mixed in the yeast, and it BLOOMED WITHIN 2 MINUTES! Added the difference in sugar when I was mixing in the flours, along with some salt per another reader's suggestion. I also added another 1/3 packet of yeast (initially when I did the sugar/water) as I am at high altitude and thought this would help counteract the density - one packet of yeast to 7 cups of flour is not much, and may be the cause of everyone's dense rolls problem.